


Actions Speak Louder than Words

by generic_cruiser



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Gen, I literally love them, Philinda - Freeform, daisy is in like all of my philinda fics now, foreshadowing of theta protocol because plot, with a sprinkle of emotional problems
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-29
Updated: 2021-01-29
Packaged: 2021-03-13 11:00:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,422
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29027598
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/generic_cruiser/pseuds/generic_cruiser
Summary: Basically just s2 Philinda because we deserve itSet in between the end of s1 and the beginning of s2
Relationships: Phil Coulson & Melinda May & Skye | Daisy Johnson, Phil Coulson/Melinda May
Comments: 2
Kudos: 26





	Actions Speak Louder than Words

**Author's Note:**

> Half of my Philinda fics are between Coulson May and Daisy because they're great so here's another multi pov.
> 
> I'm going through my pre written fics really fast because of how much yall seem to like them, so if you have requests or just vague ideas of what I should write please feel free to lmk.

“It feels weird.” 

Coulson moved over on his new desk so May could sit next to him. “What feels weird?” 

May hopped up on the desk next to him, legs swinging slightly, staring ahead at the piles of boxes filled with books and files they had yet to put away. 

“Calling you _sir._ ” Her nose wrinkled in mock disgust at the last word, causing Coulson to laugh. The sound made May look up, her gaze no longer on the moving boxes. Making Coulson laugh always felt like winning some sort of prize. Even though he smiled a lot more, Coulson laughed about as much as May did. 

“I don’t think you’re alone in that sentiment. Skye never seems to want to call me sir either.” 

May sighed, cocking her head. “It’s just…..how am I supposed to call the guy I’ve knocked out in training dozens of times si-” 

“Dozens?” Coulson interrupted. “That seems a tad excessive.” 

She looked at him incredulously. “Excessive? Come on. Have you ever been able to beat me in combat?” 

“I - weren’t we talking about something else?” 

It was May’s turn to laugh, which, although strange, felt comforting. It felt like they were back at the Academy, where they had both laughed a lot more. And where, no matter what he said, May had knocked out Coulson quite a bit during training. 

“I’m just saying,” she continued, letting him off the hook, “even when you were Level 8 you didn’t make me call you sir, even though I did sometimes. And you’re, what, a Level 10 now? ‘Sir’ seems appropriate, but still. Weird.” 

Coulson crossed his arms. “I’m thinking of getting rid of the levels altogether. It seems unnecessary considering how small we are now.” 

May nodded. Neither of them were fans of the level business to begin with, and they didn’t have enough time to consider who had what clearance. They were trying to focus on being able to start up again, and levels would probably make everything harder. 

“You’ve still got to call me sir though,” he teased. May turned to look at him with an expression of mock offense. 

They stared at each other for a beat, both of them challenging the other with their gaze. After a couple seconds, the challenge ended, and the space between them became charged in a way that made May extremely nervous, which she didn’t understand. Coulson gently angled his body towards hers, and then paused, as if waiting for May. Her analytical training was failing her, and for once she didn’t know what to do. She tried to focus on something; her breathing, the hum of the AC unit, anything but the man in front of her.

Before either of them could make another move, Skye knocked on the doorway, holding a tablet. She stared at them awkwardly, resting against the doorway, obviously trying to figure out what she had just interrupted.

“Um, Hartley came up with a list of names for you, and asked me to bring them up…” Skye bit her lip. 

May shot up from the desk as Coulson shifted his arms awkwardly, rising off the desk. They both walked over, although Coulson lagged behind May a bit, which she interpreted as an attempt to make their situation less awkward than it already was. Which only brought the awkwardness under more scrutiny by Skye.

May cleared her throat. “Why didn’t she bring the list up herself?” It would’ve been preferable, having an agent who didn’t know May and Coulson as well as Skye did finding them like that. It would’ve been easier to let the moment go.

Skye didn’t answer for a second, her eyes darting back and forth between the two agents in front of her, trying to decipher the tension between them. “..Oh um, she said she needed to shower or something. Take some R&R. And everyone thinks I’m in favor with the Director so….she asked me.” 

Coulson cocked his head at Skye. “And why does that matter to deliver a list?” 

Skye blushed. “Well, they knew May was up here too.” 

Her answer sat between the three of them uncomfortably, until May shook out of it. 

“The names, Skye?” 

Skye paused, before walking in and launching into a detailed report, thankfully dropping the subject, letting the moment pass.

~ 

“Morning Skye.” Coulson handed her a cup of coffee. They had fallen into a comfortable rhythm over the past few weeks; Coulson always woke up earlier, giving him time to make coffee, and be awake enough to make sure Skye didn’t fall on her face while shaking off sleep. 

“Ugh, could you just not be a morning person for, like, 5 minutes?” She rubbed sleep out of her eyes, sat down across from Coulson and gulped down her hot drink at an alarming rate, burning her mouth and throat a bit.

She leaned her head down to rest it on the table right as a shrill, high-pitched whine went off. Her head immediately shot up, sleep forgotten.

“What the hell is that?” 

Coulson laughed, moving over to the source of the noise, which turned out to be the kettle that Simmons had brought to the base. “I’m boiling water for tea.” 

“Since when do you drink tea? I thought you were a coffee guy.” 

He poured the hot water into a mug, unceremoniously dropping in a tea bag and swirling it around. 

“The tea’s not for me.” He gestured with the mug to May, who had just walked in looking way too awake for six in the morning. 

“Thank you,” May said, taking the cup from Coulson, and blowing on it gently before taking a sip. She rubbed his shoulder gratefully, then moved to sit next to Skye. “You didn’t show up for tai chi today.”

Skye groaned, having forgotten her promise to May for the 3rd day in a row. “Sorry, I think I need to get used to waking up at _six in the morning_ before I join you.” 

May smiled, which surprised Skye as much as it pleased her. Usually Coulson was the only one who could make May smile. “Well I expect you for combat training in an hour.” 

“I know, I know.” 

May patted Skye on the shoulder, then got up to get the training room ready for their training session, taking her still-steaming tea with her. 

As May left, she rubbed Coulson on the shoulder again when she passed him. The look that passed between the two of them was caught by Skye, and caused her to perk up even more as she watched Coulson watch May leave. Skye had been on alert for moments like those ever since she found May and Coulson in the latter’s office the other day. She had no idea what that had been all about, or why the two agents avoided each other for hours afterwards, but ever since, Skye had watched May and Coulson carefully. And now she was being rewarded for her efforts by another moment that made Skye question the nature of her mentors’ relationship.

Unfortunately, her mentors were super spies. Who noticed pretty much everything. Which made surveilling their actions difficult.

“Skye, you’ve got that look on your face.” 

_Play dumb._ “What look?” 

Coulson stood up and made his way to the stove. “Like you’re scheming.” 

“Scheming? Me? As if, sir.” Skye gaped in mock offence. Then she noticed the items Coulson was pulling from various cabinets, and jumped at the opportunity to change the subject. “Are you making pancakes?” 

He smiled thinly, seeming just as grateful as she was for the topic change. “Yep. May used to say my pancakes were the perfect thing to eat before combat training, so I figured I’d get a second opinion from you.” 

Skye paused, the idea of Coulson making May breakfast jarring. Well, as long as he wasn’t questioning her about snooping. “Sounds good, Director.”

~

Coulson didn’t like keeping things from May, but sometimes it was necessary. He wanted to tell her about Theta, about Andrew, but their trust had been marred by Hydra and Fury. Not that they didn’t still trust each other, but he was still hurt by her betrayal, as childish as it was, and May knew it. Of course she did. It was helpful, but incredibly annoying at times to have his right hand be someone who knew him so well. Someone who could probably tell that he was holding back. 

He grumbled slightly, having mislabeled a file as top priority instead of case dismissed. He rectified the problem easily, but he wasn’t focused. Too many things clouded his thoughts: Skye’s training, the new recruits, Fitz’s rehab, May, the alien writing. Coulson leaned against his desk, pressing his forehead into his hand. Fury’s toolbox responded to his movement, sliding through various files with a whirring sound he could only describe as “tech-y.” The sound was giving him a migraine. 

“You okay?” Coulson looked up at May’s voice, subconsciously closing the toolbox. May stared at it for a second, then returned her gaze to him. 

“Fine, just a headache.” 

She moved to stand in front of him, arms crossed. “You’re stressed.” Again, she read him too easy. 

“And what would I have to be stressed about?” Deflection was probably not the best tactic, it would most likely end up doing more harm than good, but he was too tired to delve into all of the problems they were dealing with. 

“You tell me.” He looked up. Although the response was what he had expected, he hadn’t expected May’s voice to be so...soft. It was a tone he associated with misery.

Coulson had only heard her voice like that a couple times. The first one was on the 10th anniversary of his dad’s death. They were 19, brand new to the academy, but fast friends. The second time was after a particularly brutal mission that had put both of them in the hospital. The third was when May told him she was leaving Andrew. Then, when Skye was shot. All of those had been important moments, ones that had scarred them. Which is why it was so jarring to hear it now. 

He shook out his surprise. “I’d rather not, not today.” 

May nodded. Coulson could read her too, and he could tell she wanted to ask what was in the toolbox, but she refrained. For his sake. He didn’t deserve her, honestly. 

“Wanna go downstairs then? Get a drink?” 

He shook his head, and he swore he could feel his brain rattling around in his skull. “Drinking with Hartley and Mack is not the way to get rid of a headache.” 

“Can’t argue with that logic, Director.” May stepped closer, the three feet in between them turning into ten inches.

Coulson resisted the urge to step back. This was the first time they had been alone together in his office since about a week ago, when something that none of his training could help him decipher happened. He had honestly considered asking Skye what she thought about the whole thing, but figured that would backfire in his face. Massively. 

He scratched the back of his neck, noticing how May’s eyes tracked his movements. Coulson looked up to refrain from looking directly at her, and noticed that his office door was shut. No chance of being saved by Skye this time. All the agents, even the new ones, knew not to approach the office when the door was closed.

He tried to relax, tried not to let his mind wander. May was a friend. A good friend, who could probably tell that he was not okay. It was easier to relax after that. She noticed it; he could tell. 

May reached for Coulson’s hand, rubbing her finger over his knuckles. He smiled softly. 

They stood together, Coulson’s hand in May’s, neither of them moving. Coulson wasn’t sure of May’s intentions, but he was afraid to spoil the moment. He was hyper aware that any movement he made could be interpreted one way or another, and he wasn’t sure how to feel about that. May seemed overly relaxed, which bugged him. 

Before Coulson had time to analyze his situation any further, someone knocked loudly on his office door.

“That’s got to be-” 

“Skye.” May cut Coulson off, her smile mirroring his. “She really doesn’t like to follow your rule about the door.” 

Coulson moved to open the door. “She hardly follows any of my rules about anything.” 

He tugged the door open, and yep, there was Skye, looking slightly distressed. 

“Hi Director, May.” Coulson looked back to see that May was rummaging around a file cabinet, only looking up to nod at Skye. She obviously didn’t want a repeat of the last time Skye caught them alone together. Smart. 

Coulson turned back to Skye. “Don’t you know the rule about the door?” 

Skye shifted on her feet. “Yeah, but we’ve got a perimeter breach. Some dude named…” She glanced down at the post-it in her hand. “...Lance Hunter. I haven’t run a background check yet, he just set off the alarm. Trip let me know, then I came straight up here. I figured you didn’t know, since you hadn’t come down to check yet.” 

Coulson nodded, glad that Skye had gone through the chain of command, instead of handling it herself. He guessed part of that was May’s influence. 

“May, you want to come help me deal with this guy?” 

May looked up from the files, considering his offer. “I am not in the mood to deal with Lance Hunter today.” 

“You guys know him? He didn’t mention you.” Skye narrowed her eyes at the post-it, as if staring at it would reveal Hunter’s life story. “Hartley seemed to recognize him, but he wasn’t on her list.”

May laughed a little. “He never knew my name. I was friends with his ex-wife. She’s in S.H.I.E.L.D.” 

“Present tense? Still with us?” 

May nodded. Skye looked to Coulson for confirmation. 

“She’s undercover at the moment. You’ll meet her at some point, most likely.” Skye nodded, satisfied, and passed Coulson the post-it. Coulson handed it to May, then followed Skye out of the office. 

As he left, he turned to look back at May. She was looking at him, and when their eyes met, she smiled. Before Coulson could figure out what that smile meant (they always meant something with May), the door clicked shut in front of him, cutting May’s smile short.

**Author's Note:**

> Atm 3 of my fics have passed 300 hits so as always thank you so much for taking the time to read my stuff, especially to the people who come back and comment, it's so awesome to see, honestly.
> 
> As always, feedback is welcome. This is one of my sappy-er fics so if you have ideas about how I can improve please lmk.


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